The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane

November 1, 2018
Grades 4-6 When Emmy's mother, a parenting expert, branches out from writing books to hosting a reality TV series, she ships her 12-year-old daughter off to Wellsworth, a challenging English boarding school. Resigned but resentful, particularly after her mother tells her not to play soccer, Emmy finds that she enjoys the challenging schoolwork. And despite rejection by her shrewish roommate, she quickly makes two good friends. She also discovers that her father, who mysteriously disappeared when she was three, had attended the school. While attempting to learn more about him, Emmy discovers a centuries-old secret society and makes some dangerous enemies. A Canadian writer, Nobel creates a number of engaging characters, as well as several suspicious ones, and sets the story in motion, building tension and surprising readers from time to time as the plot twists unexpectedly and individuals reveal themselves more fully. Written in third person from Emmy's point of view, the narrative moves quickly toward a satisfying conclusion, but some mysteries remain unsolved. A promising first novel that leaves the door open for sequels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)